Tottenham aim to secure a replacement for Fabio Paratici before finalising plans to bring in a new boss.
Spurs are looking for a new head coach to replace Antonio Conte with Julian Nagelsmann the favourite. But they are short of decision-makers at the top after Paratici, 50, resigned from his position as their managing director of football last month.
He was banned from football activities in Italy earlier this year when his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting. The Italian appealed against his ban but it was rejected and FIFA made his 30-month suspension worldwide leading Paratici to resign from his role at Spurs.
The North London club are now stepping up their pursuit of a direct replacement for Paratici. Names in the frame include Rui Pedro Braz at Benfica, where as sporting director he has helped acquire a number of relatively unknown talents before selling them on for huge fees.
It was under the 44-year-old's guidance that Benfica flogged Darwin Nunez to Liverpool for £85million and in January sold Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for a record £107m. Pedro Braz, who previously starred as a commentator and football analyst on Portuguese TV, was linked with a director role at Chelsea prior to their appointments of Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
He is known as a talent spotter who boasts an MBA in sports management. Tottenham also last month appointed Scott Munn as chief football officer in a role which will see him join the club's board as well as taking charge of all footballing departments.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Who should Spurs target as their next manager? Let us know in the comments below.
But Munn is not due to start until July 1 when his gardening leave with City Football Group finishes. It means the prolonged wait for Spurs fans to welcome their new manager could continue beyond the end of this current season.
And Paratici's eventual replacement faces a financial complication if they want to negotiate a final deal for Nagelsmann. Despite being sacked by Bayern, the German is still on the club's payroll because he was placed on gardening leave when Thomas Tuchel replaced him in March.
That means Bayern could be owed compensation if Tottenham hire the 35-year-old. It's believed that figure could be in excess of £10million, whilst his wage demands are also likely to be extortionate having earned between £7.1million and £8million per year in his former job.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham boss and fan-favourite Mauricio Pochettino looks set to be appointed as Chelsea's new manager in the coming days. The Argentine led Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019 and was linked with an emotional return, but is expected to be in the dugout for their rivals at Stamford Bridge next season.
Spurs will now hold further talks with Nagelsmann, who is interested in the role, though wants clarity on Paratici's successor as well as assurances on the future of Harry Kane.
